Michael Gabriel Hernandez
December 15, 2020•Update: December 15, 2020
WASHINGTON
US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell congratulated President-elect Joe Biden Tuesday on his electoral victory, over five weeks after he emerged victorious over President Donald Trump.
McConnell had refrained from doing so while Trump pursued ultimately futile legal challenges to overturn the Nov. 3 election's results, but after Electoral College delegates officially cast their ballots on Monday -- giving Biden 306 votes to Trump's 232 -- McConnell acknowledged Biden's win.
Speaking on the Senate floor, the Senate's top Republican said that while he and millions of others had hoped for a different electoral outcome, "The Electoral College has spoken."
"So today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He has devoted himself to public service for many years. I also want to congratulate the vice-president elect, our colleague from California, Sen. Harris. Beyond our differences, all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time," he said.
Harris is not only the first female to become president-elect, but also the first Black and Asian-American to hold the title.
Just moments before McConnell lent his recognition to Biden and Harris' victory, Trump continued to make unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, continuing to say there is "tremendous evidence pouring in," but failing to offer material to back the allegation.
